We did this poll 5 years ago, but princess_bubblegum suggested we do it again. The options are similar to last time, with a couple of additions and changes. I left the e-sports option as a joke answer, but still missing are things that would be considered board games. And the absence of a "None" or "Other" option is on purpose, so deal with it. Last time, the top 3 were martial arts, archery, and e-sports.

Boxing has proven to be a ready made metaphor for nearly anything but i choose the more broad Martial Arts. Fighting it is and no more of these formulaic high school baseball copy and paste jobs about going to Koshien.

I've read a couple of romance manga that were about archery and enjoyed them. But it's really hard to choose one when there are so many options. I don't even really like sports, but a good manga could make any sport interesting. But for me the manga would have to be about more than just the sport. I've watched clips of sports anime before and they seem to take the smallest thing and make a huge deal of it and it just makes me want to blow my brains out.

The poll includes e-sports, but doesn't include stuff like Go and shogi!? (or just a "boardgames" entry) WTF!?

BTW: For those who don't know/accept it:Both e-sports and chess/go/shogi, fully qualify as sports.There is no need for a sport to involve physical activity ...nor do all physical activities, qualify as sports.Do you have regular competitions/tournaments for the activity?Then it's a sport.If not, then it isn't.

(there are competitions for stuff like snowball fighting and rock-paper-scissors, but they're quite rare and tiny, so they don't qualify)

One of my favourite sport manga, among my favourite manga overall, is Glass Mask.Granted, it's not actually about a sport...but it has the same feel to it, that sport manga generally have.Hence I count it as one, though it technically isn't.

BTW: For those who don't know/accept it:Both e-sports and chess/go/shogi, fully qualify as sports.There is no need for a sport to involve physical activity ...nor do all physical activities, qualify as sports.Do you have regular competitions/tournaments for the activity?Then it's a sport.If not, then it isn't.

This is not correct. Chess, go, shogi, xiangqi, mahjong, poker, bridge, etc., are games, not sports. Any game can have tournaments or competitions, but that doesn't make it a sport.

The definition of sport when speaking of competition does strictly refer to those competitions based upon physical exertion and skill. Certain interested parties have attempted to water down the definition of sport to suit their purpose, but it's certainly not standard just yet.

Now e-sports can plausibly be argued to be a sport, given that they revolve pretty heavily around hand-eye coordination and reaction time, a physical skill not present in any of the games listed above.

The definition of sport when speaking of competition does strictly refer to those competitions based upon physical exertion and skill.

First of all, there is no "when speaking of competition".There has to be competition, or it isn't a sport. That is a central and necessary part of the definition of sport. Physicality, however, is not.

Many dictionaries and encyclopaedias use similar sources and denominations and refer to sport as a physical or athletic activity, with often an element of competition. In addition, the more “democratic” source of definitions Wikipedia specifically mentions mind sports and motorised sports in which the physical activity is not dominant. Wikipedia also makes the link to art, which is an interesting link for sports that rely on judges. The current SportAccord membership shows the full breadth of the above.

The sports within SportAccord can be classified in the following categories: Primarily physical Primarily mind Primarily motorised Primarily coordination Primarily animal-supported

Some sports have been classified in multiple categories; this is mostly due to different disciplines.

The SportAccord definition of sport:With regard to new applications, SportAccord uses the following definition of a sport: The sport proposed should have an element of competition. The sport proposed should in no way be harmful to any living creatures. The sport should not rely on equipment that is provided by a single supplier. The sport should not rely on any “luck” element specifically designed into the sport.

Animals just doing their own thing is enough to get official recognition. Acting isn´t a sport though. I will cut in at least there.

Animals just doing their own thing is enough to get official recognition

No it isn't.I've never seen any definition (including the one you cited, which I've naturally seen before), by which that could possibly count.

The closest you could get, would be something like greyhound racing...but that's gambling. Mainly luck based.It's not animal supported. It's just animal...and there is no thought of competition, among the greyhounds.

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Acting isn´t a sport though. I will cut in at least there.

I repeat:"Granted, it's not actually about a sport...but it has the same feel to it, that sport manga generally have.Hence I count it as one, though it technically isn't."

At no point did I claim that acting is, in any way, a sport.It's just that Glass Mask has the same feel, and uses the same kind of tropes, as a sport manga.As such I categorize it as a sport manga.Sport manga isn't an activity, nor is reading sport manga, a sport. Reading manga is an experience ...and reading Glass Mask gives the same experience, as reading sport manga.It is no more different to any single sport manga, than any sport manga is different to another sport manga ...but it shares the same similarities, that the various sport manga share.

The same can be said of Hikaru no Go, but then that, of course, is about a sport.Not so much Shion no Ou, however, but the shogi isn't really the focus of that manga, so...

The fact that a bureaucratic organization related to sports has chosen to expand its area of influence hasn't changed the definition of sport.

Indeed. The definition has always been that of competition, regardless of physicality ...though most people have (ignorantly) tended to associate it with physicality.

Dictionaries aren't always accurate.They are general and simple, and don't deal with every word, in depth or detail (unlike, say, SportAccord, in the case of the term "sport").Besides: Dictionaries don't dictate what is right, nor do they claim to.They are descriptive. Not proscriptive.They try to describe general usage.

The definition has always been that of competition, regardless of physicality

I hope you'll excuse me if I give more credence to the Oxford English Dictionary on the histiorical meaning of the word (i.e. a diversion or pastime, prior to developing the meaning of a physical competition) than your unsourced claim.

The word sport precedes SportAccord by several centuries, and English doesn't have the equivalent of the Académie française to prescribe the language. Given your desire to see the definition rewritten, I assume you know a solid majority of people wouldn't call chess and other board games "sports".

Anyhow, let's see how strictly you believe SportAccord's definition. Tell me, which of the following situations do you consider to be "sports"?

Two computers playing each other in chess.A group of computers playing a chess tournament under Swiss format.A human playing against a computer in chess.A mixture of humans and computers playing a chess tournament under Swiss format.A group of people competing in a quiz game, such as Jeopardy.A group of computers competing in a quiz game, such as Jeopardy.Students taking a standardized test in which results are scored in comparison to each other.Students taking a test in which results are scored relative to their result (e.g. The Putnam Competition).Mixed Martial Arts.

If any of these don't qualify, please explain which part of the definition they fail to meet.

I assume you know a solid majority of people wouldn't call chess and other board games "sports".

No I don't "know" that, for sure, but...That's an Appeal to Popularity.Most people think that a medieval sword can be accurately termed as a "broadsword".They're wrong. (they also think that said swords weigh 10+kg, which is preposterous)

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Two computers playing each other in chess.

How is that relevant?

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A group of people competing in a quiz game, such as Jeopardy.

That goes against the "not rely on equipment provided by a single supplier" provision.It's individual shows, that have their own set rules and everything.There are no universal rules, or competitions and what competitions there are, are under the sole domain of a single company.

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Students taking a standardized test in which results are scored in comparison to each other.

That's about qualifying, not about competing.Also it's not a recreational activity.

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Mixed Martial Arts.

In what possible way, would that not qualify as a sport?It's all about winning matches/tournaments...and it has all that physicality that you like.

Also there is the whole LN/anime of Fune wo Amu about the behinds of dictionaries.

At the end they are more of a record of language than a teaching book, that's why in spanish there was recently added words that have been miswritten for decades.

Also, what's your opinion about shooting and golf being considered sports, because there isn't much physical exertion in those, and if being fit is being considered as physical exertion then it's also necesary for chess and e-sports to perform correctly.

Sport obviously had a definition prior to the existence of SportAccord. I see no reason to cede control over that definition to a party that stands to profit by widening it.

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No I don't "know" that, but...That's an Appeal to Popularity.

So dictionaries can't define what's a sport, nor can popular usage, only bureaucracies receiving money based on their member organizations get to determine what fits. Seems like a conflict of interest to me.

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How is that relevant?

How does computers playing chess fail SportAccord's definition? There's nothing in their definition that requires the participation of humans.

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That goes against the "not rely on equipment provided by a single supplier" provision.It's individual shows, that have their own set rules and everything. There are no universal rules, or competitions and what competitions there are, are under the sole domain of a single company.

There are various companies that supply buzzers and questions to academic quiz game competitions, and there are multiple different competitions at the school and university level.

Plenty of sports have different rules depending on which organization runs the competition. For example, in American football, the NFL has different rules from the CFL, they both have different rules from what international tournaments there are, and all of these have different rules from college and high school football. There's no set of universal rules. (And these differences include basic things such as how the game is scored.)

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That's about qualifying, not about competing.Also it's not a recreational activity.

There's nothing in the SA definition requiring that a sport be a recreational activity. Competing for qualification is a form of competition in many sports, e.g. tennis. Besides, I gave the Putnam as an example of an academic exam competition that is essentially recreational and has no qualifying aspect to it, aside from having a scholarship as one of its possible prizes.

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Mixed Martial Arts.

In what possible way, would that not qualify as a sport?It's all about winning matches/tournaments...and it has all that physicality that you like.

Tell that to SportAccord, then. They don't include it as a sport, presumably because various traditional martial arts organizations lobby against it. (Note that MMA is illegal in France due to the influence of their judo organization.)

I don't see what's gained by watering down the definition of sport until it's essentially synonymous with competition. The physical aspect of the definition is a useful distinction that in no way diminishes the value of chess, bridge and other games with long, noteworthy histories.

Sport obviously had a definition prior to the existence of SportAccord.

Your point being...?

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I see no reason to cede control over that definition to a party that stands to profit by widening it.

Stand to profit? How?

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So dictionaries can't define what's a sport, nor can popular usage, only bureaucracies receiving money based on their member organizations get to determine what fits. Seems like a conflict of interest to me.

Yeah, 'cause those are the only possible options... ...and thus we add False Dichotomy, to the fallacies, you use....Besides, if we accept popular usage, you're losing the argument.

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How does computers playing chess fail SportAccord's definition? There's nothing in their definition that requires the participation of humans.

Again: It's too for anyone to bother to mention it.Besides, if the participants have no concept of what they are doing, then they are not competing....and a computer AI does not.It just carries out calculations.Once you have sentient AIs, that'd be different, but for now...

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There are various companies that supply buzzers and questions to academic quiz game competitions

There are academic quiz competitions?

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Plenty of sports have different rules depending on which organization runs the competition

Slight variations. The basics are still the same ...and you have

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There's nothing in the SA definition requiring that a sport be a recreational activity.

...because that is such an obvious part, that they don't need to mention it.

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Besides, I gave the Putnam as an example of an academic exam competition that is essentially recreational and has no qualifying aspect to it, aside from having a scholarship as one of its possible prizes.

Regardless of any other aspect: The existence of one, single, competition does not make an activity a sport.

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Tell that to SportAccord, then. They don't include it as a sport.

Oh? Have they stated that it isn't a sport?I did a quick search and found no such statement.

I voted for Martial Arts, but if I had the option of choosing multiple choices to vote for at once, I would've also chose the following:

1. Kendo2. Archery3. Boxing4. Wrestling5. Judo6. Fencing7. Shooting

Mainly because those sports in particular also fall under the martial arts category. I wish there was more manga with a just as huge and diverse cast of Martial Arts practitioners as Kenichi does. Though I could do without the 10+ made up martial arts. One made up martial art is my absolute limit, or at least in the single to lower double digits.

I chose martial arts as that is one of the things I want more of, but I also want more of competitive dancing like Ballroom e Youkoso. Sports manga overall are good as long as they focus mostly on the sports part and don't get too out of hand with super powers. That's a turn off. It's fine to use romance to move the story, but when it severely hinders it and is just there to fill space and waste time, it's crap.